Friday, November 11, 2011

2011 recap

So, 2011 season is over. Although it is disapointing I am unable to change the name of the blog to yankees quest for 29 I did see many things I did like. The yankees overcame in september to overtake the division, delt with many injuries to key players throughout the year, and had some young talent really step up.

Our starting pitching exceeded my expectations. CC was a innings eater and a true ace. Nova was ace 1b, his control was outstanding and showed great poise on the mound. Burnett has continued to be a disapointment, Hughes was injured early on the season and hasn't looked quite the same since. Colon and Garcia were both surprises and pitched very well when there numbers were called.

Our bullpen was a true strength to the Yankees. Mo Rivera showed why he still is the best closer in baseball. Ayala and Logan both stepped up and pitched well. Soriano was a disapointment in his first year in pinstripes as he didnt adjust to the setup role well. David Robinson looked unhittable at times and posted a amazing 1.08 era and may have been the biggest unsung hero in the yankees organization. The depth in the bullpen is top notch. I havent even mentioned Noesi, Joba or Wade

The yankees hitting stepped up and was one of the best, if not the best power hitting team in the majors. 7 of our starting lineup had over 10 Hrs, 3 over 100 rbis, 5 players with a OPS over .800. Quite impressive given how #'s heavily decreased last year. Cano and Granderson played at MVP levels both at the plate and in the field. Newly acquired Russel Martin handled the pitching staff well and provided a solid bat in the back end of the lineup. Jeter and Arod started to show there age but also proved they can be solid contributors still. Brett Gardner did a solid job at the top of the lineup with a 364 on base percentage.

The bench was so-so. Eric Chavez and Andrew Jones were two good vetran bats who provided some decent pitch hitting/dh and filled in well when players were injured or needed rest. Edguardo Nunez impressed me with his bat, but looked lost in the field. Montero called up and in his 18 games almost hit a OPS of 1.000 (.996) batted over .300 and had some clutch hits.

Despite all the positives of the regular season, the postseason was a big disapointment. CC looked worn out at times and pitched poorly in the post season. The only pitcher who performed well was Nova. Our hitting was so-so in the series vs the tigers and we were outplayed. Overall without a championship the Yankees series may be classified as a failure, however, I wouldn't say so. I saw some young talent really progress (cano, montero, granderson, nova) who can be central figures going forward for the next 5-10 years.